Energy-Efficient Retreat Displaying a Modern Design Character in Spain

The team at Nan Arquitectos were given a challenge to design an energy-efficient retreat on a budget in Pazo de Rubianes, Pontevedra, Spain. The 49 square-meter House in Rubianes consists of a concrete block pierced by glass: “In the middle of an area, where the rest of constructions are very different in terms of shape, a parallelepiped showed up from the lowest level of the land in order to establish a fluent relation between inside and outside.” The holiday retreat is open to the South and its facade is given a discrete access.

The overall construction process took two months to complete. One of the main goals was to achieve space continuity from the inside out and transform the outdoors into an intimate space for the occupant through the large window that is covering one of the facades completely. The other facade, the most exposed to the neighborhood, is closed for total privacy. Except for the bathroom, placed in a “service area” near the wardrobe and kitchen, all interiors communicate with each other. According to the architects, simplicity, austerity, efficiency and architectural quality stood at the basis of this home design in Spain. [Photography: Santos-Diez]